Together in Love
by talking-eye
Summary: After Cristina said yes to Burke's proposal.
1. Chapter 1

I think I like _Beginning of an End_ more (i.e. I am forcing you to go read that one first), but I figure you might want something shorter and more different

-x-x-x-x-x  
Rolling back and forth with the word naughty blinking in her eyes, Cristina enjoyed the game of escaping from Burke's omnipotent touch.

The more crests she created on the once perfectly ironed bed-spread, the more excited Cristina became.

The bed was shaking so violently that Burke feared it would break the ceiling beneath or push down a few walls. Although there were pauses in between, they never lasted enough to give any peace of mind to their neighbors.

As Burke's lips began another adventure on her silky skin, Cristina burst into laughter once again.

After multiple times of highly-charged exchange in bed, the two finally settled down. Cristina was clinging onto him like a koala to his mother.

Applying light pressure on the back of his neck, Cristina felt her ankles swimming between his calves. Slowly but firmly, she whispered into his ear, "Nobody has to know."

Crossing his leg just around her kness, Burke took control and asked in an amused tone, "Secrets don't survive at Seattle Grace."

"I'm not wearing the ring, you're not telling anyone," Cristina rolled her eyes. "Nobody will know."

"Not unless we hide ourselves," Burke rocked her between his arms, inhaling the fragrance in her hair.

Enjoying it like a baby in the cradle, Cristina asked with innocence, "Why?"

"We're too happy. Our happiness would suffocate our friends and bring our secret into light."

Not ready to give in, Cristina resumed the massage on his neck, "We're better than George and Callie. We are a team with good discipline!"

"You didn't know how easy it is to read your face," Burke pulled the hand on his neck to the front and lay it on his chest. "Who can resume her old sullen self when there's this leap in the heart?"

Moving her hand away from Burke, Cristina reached over to the phone and teased, "Ok, we'll hide. I will tell them we are stranded in Alaska and won't come back before Christmas."

"Cristina!" Burke couldn't help but laugh.

"Why do you want to marry me? Was it because of the sex?" Cristina licked her lips as she stared into Burke. "You know, we always have good sex."

The cleft in Burke's chin was delicious; Cristina couldn't control her tongue from stopping there before heading for the southern regions.

Instead of responding with a word, Burke chose to cradle her head and catch her rosy lips with his own.

As Burke's hand slipped down to give a powerful squeeze on her tensing shoulder, the soreness escaped Cristina's body as swiftly as the mesmerizing moan that eloped through her mouth.

"Tell me your middle name," Burke inquired randomly between their hasty gasp for air.

"Why do I have to tell you?" Dragging Burke to sit on his knees with her, Cristina hovered her arms around his neck and smirked.

"Because we're engaged," Burke smiled, without rushing her.

"Well, thank God it is not Iphigenia," Cristina said sarcastically as she thought about Callie Igphemia Torres O'Malley.

"So what does the T stand for?"

"How do you know it begins with a T?" Cristina was puzzled, "It isn't in my chart!"

Snuggling her tightly from behind, Burke let out a triumphant smile. "It's in your passport signature."

"You're being sneaky!" Cristina puckered her lips and looked pensively at him, wondering if she should tell.

"Theresa?"

"I'm not a saint."

"Theodora?"

"I'm not an old spinster either!"

"Well, if you don't tell me, I will keep guessing forever," Kissing her earlobes as he continued his pursuit, Burke was basking in confidence.

Shutting her eyes to give herself a private moment, Cristina averted her gaze to the side of the bed and said, "Tae-Hee. It's the Korean name my father gave me."

Immediately Burke regretted having asked. The sadness on Cristina's face was unexpected and overwhelming.

Pushing the hair on her forehead to the side, Burke let the warmth of his hand melt the tears that were welling up Cristina's eyes.

"We'll put that on the wedding invitations, and whatever is allowed."

Looking suspiciously at Burke, Cristina lost the ability to speak.

"I don't know your father, but I'm sure he would like to be part of this."

Ignoring the mild heaviness in her heart, Cristina pressed her lips against his cheek and softened her voice, "Thank you, Burke."

Pulling the sheets higher to cover her arms, Burke cleared his throat and said, "You know, the ring is from my grandparents. So we'll have lots of people to watch over us and make sure we don't mess up."

Reaching into the top drawer, Cristina slid the ring onto her necklace and relaxed as Burke held her in his arms.

Without turning to look at him again, Cristina murmured, "I love you, Burke."

"Me too, Cristina."

They smiled in serenity. 


	2. Chapter 2

The night always seemed too short when they were happy. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was tempting, but it wasn't as appealing as holding herself close between the mattress and the blanket.

Burke knew there was no way for him to wake Cristina up merely by calling out her name repeatedly. After giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead, Burke scooped her up effortlessly and sat her on the metallic chair for breakfast.

Rubbing her eyes, Cristina saw the grin of victory on Burke's face and wondered how many different strategies he could come up with each morning to wake her up. _Surely he would have to work really hard on it if he's planning to spend the rest of his life with her._

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry," Cristina supported her head with one hand and stared at Burke. "You eat."

Burke had been the one who spent lots of time looking at Cristina, whether it's in bed, at work, or at the dining table. This morning, he was enjoying all the attention he got as put small mouthfuls of pancake into his mouth.

Unlike Cristina, Burke didn't find it awkward at all. The undivided interest on him seemed to be so intense that Burke finally burst out laughing.

"What?" Cristina looked puzzled as Burke covered his mouth with the napkin.

Instead of telling her how he was staring at him as if he was a 3-headed monster, Burke swiftly moved his fork forward and put a piece of pancake into Cristina's mouth.

As sleepiness was slowly lifting its veil off Cristina's face, she leaned forward over their breakfast and returned his generosity with a kiss.

Dropping his fork on his plate, Burke stood up and moved over to Cristina's side as their lips continued their joint venture.

Holding up her arms comfortably at Burke's sturdy back, Cristina enjoyed the way how he massaged her scalp and tactfully dragged her back into their bedroom.

"How about a shower together?" Cristina whispered that into her lover's ear as they were lying in bed side by side. "You know, that can probably save some time and we won't be late."

Amused, Burke raised his brows and teased her, "I thought you said it's worth being late."

The fake pout on Cristina's face only made Burke chuckle harder as they helped each other to the bathroom.

When they finally made it to Seattle Grace, Cristina was 5 minutes early, just in time to catch up with Meredith in the locker room.

"Good morning, Mer."

"You are happy," Meredith exclaimed in disbelief. "It's barely 6am and you're happy. Are you Ok, Cristina?"

Wiggling her brows as she changed into scrubs, Cristina reminded herself not to appear too excited. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"I thought you and Burke are still avoiding each other?"

Cristina covered her face with a smile.

"Did you two just have sex?" Meredith looked at her best friend confused. "Oh my God, you two are talking and you are having sex again!"

"Well, we've always had hot sex, even when we were not talking to each other," Cristina said proudly.

"You two are strange. Made-for-one-another strange." Meredith shook her head with slightly disapproval.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Derek and I can never have hot sex in the morning without getting here late," Meredith mumbled to herself.

Before Cristina got a chance to laugh, Bailey was already standing in front of them, her hand stretched out on the locker door, and her eyes pinning the interns down with intense annoyance.

"How many times do I have to remind you that you're here to work, not to talk about your sex life. If I catch you discussing that again, I'll make sure you don't get to see the inside of the OR for a month. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Grey, Dr. Burke is expecting you for a CABG in 45 minutes. Yang, you'll be on duty at the free clinic today."

Stealing a glance at Cristina, Meredith was surprised she didn't catch any sense of disappointment in Cristina's eyes. After Bailey had left the room, Meredith couldn't help but asked, "You said you two are fine."

"So?" Cristina pretended nothing had happened.

"Burke's not asking you to scrub in and you're not upset about it?"

Recalling the _verbal contract_ she made with Burke the night before, Cristina said in a light-hearted yet rational voice, "I guess he has to give other interns a chance."

"But you are the ambitious intern who wants every cool surgery! And now you're Ok even when he's withholding surgery!" The genuinely concerned expression on Meredith's face was almost comical.

"Shouldn't you be happy for your friend when she's in such a good mood and being so generous about surgeries?" Cristina beamed.

"Ok, I'm happy for you," Meredith was still processing the information in her head, wondering if she was dreaming. "Although I still think you're hiding something from me."

"Stop being paranoid," Cristina snapped.

Meredith headed for the door and suddenly turned back, "You're not married, are you?"  



	3. Chapter 3

"What makes you think that getting married would make me happy?" The question caught Cristina off balance and induced a nervous laugh.

"Nothing," Meredith looked at Cristina pensively. "It's just that, you know, there's something about you today that makes me think of George."

"That's impossible. I never look silly even when I am happy." Cristina rolled her eyes.

Staring at Cristina for another second or so, Meredith spoke again, "I'm your person. If, well, when you do something as drastic as getting married, you've to let me know, Ok?"

"Well, I'm not married at the current moment," Scratching the back of her hand, Cristina avoided Meredith's eyes. "Besides, you're my person. I don't want to make you feel miserable about yourself if all of us are suddenly engaged or married and your McDreamy isn't even looking at you because he's so busy to run for Chief."

"It has nothing to do with Derek. He's just anxious. I mean, isn't Burke anxious about it as well?" Meredith inquired in her serious but not very demanding tone.

The question would have triggered some guilt in Cristina had it been posed to her a day or two ago. When she searched very hard in her head the last time Burke was anxious, all Cristina could come up with was the night before when she said yes.

"No," Cristina tried make sense of what she was saying, "I mean, yes. Of course. It's good that our men are career-driven."

"But you're right, Cristina. Derek has been cold to me," Meredith threw her hands on her lap. "He's so comfortable with where we're at. We're sleeping in the same bed each night, but it's just strange. He's divorced. We're single. We're in love. But what if he never takes that next step?"

"Mer, you really want to be Mrs. McDreamy, don't you?" Cristina's eyes widened as a chain of laughter escaped her lips.

"Didn't you ever have that dream of being in a fancy white dress, walking down the aisle with the choir singing and the people cheering and showering rose petals over you?"

The smile that had been residing in Cristina's face couldn't conceal a moment of gloom glossing over her eyes as Meredith's innocent remark yielded a minor heartache.

_The last time she joked about being the prettiest bride was when she was dancing a waltz with her feet resting on his; it was when she told her father she would marry him some day. Now she couldn't even have her own father to guide her down the aisle at the wedding._

"I don't like weddings," Cristina said quietly. "It's too snobbish, completely overrated."

"You can always do something simple, like George did."

"You seriously think Burke would let me get away with a small ceremony? His Mama is going to be mad at me for the rest of our lives."

"It's not as if you're going to elope," Meredith sat down with Cristina in front of the lockers and kept her sullen face intact. "Cristina, what's wrong with me?"

"What?"

"I am the FIRST person to meet my McDreamy, but Denny proposed to Izzie, George married Callie, and for some reason I think you and Burke will be next."

"Well, your speculation about me and Burke aside, don't forget that Denny Duquette died and George became a sex machine because his father ALSO died." Cristina couldn't help but marvel at her friend's self-centered concern about being the last to marry. "There's no need to rush."

"I guess you're right," Meredith held her knees closer to her chest. "I don't really have any good role models anyway. My mother, the Chief, your mother, Derek… everyone who's married ends up getting into trouble."

The cordial nod Cristina made was in stark contrast with the hope glimmering in her heart and the blush on her cheeks.

Her new-found conviction in marriage and her ability to excel at it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Maybe they didn't try hard enough," Cristina tried to convince them both and responded with determination glowing on her face. "Bailey's married and she's still the Nazi. I'm sure we can make it."

"Minus the white fluffy dress," Meredith said thoughtfully.

"Minus the parents," Cristina smirked.

"Maybe you can get married in scrubs, in the OR, in secret..."

They laughed as Meredith laid her head on Cristina's shoulder, enjoying their unique friendship that only got stronger each day.

"Grey, I see that you're not ready for my surgery yet."

The voice coming towards them made Cristina shiver.

_Burke didn't hear what they were discussing, did he?_

"Sorry I'm late, Dr. Burke, I'm coming right away," Meredith jumped up and nearly banged her head on the handle of the locker.

"It's fine, Meredith. We'll work on the logistics to make sure you won't be late on our wedding day," Burke grinned innocently at his fiancée and her best friend, happy that Cristina seemed to have broken her threat and made the engagement public.

"What?" The shock was so intense that the two women's eyeballs were about to fall out.

_Burke was wrong on so many levels._  



	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, what're you doin'—" George shut Izzie's mouth and pushed her to the side outside the locker room.

"What's it, George?" Izzie whispered as George continued to peek into the room through the glass on the door.

"They seem to be in an argument and the door is locked!"

"Who?"

"Cristina and Meredith," George hesitated, "and Dr. Burke."

"Are you serious? Meredith and Cristina are fighting over Burke?" Izzie gasped in an annoyingly nosy way as she shoved George to the side. "I didn't know Mer has a thing for Burke…"

"Looks like Dr. Burke is in trouble," George wiped his sweat with the back of his hand.

"You think he might have cheated on Cristina?" Izzie said in an excited voice. "Oh my God!"

"Shut it, Iz. Dr. Burke isn't that kind of guy."

"Why would Cristina appear so upset then?" Izzie pointed to the inside of the room. "See, she's not talking to Burke now."

"It's Cristina Yang. You should be scared if she' sweet and loving in the morning," Alex joined the gang and snorted.

"What are you fools doing here?" Bailey stormed towards the interns and started pounding impatiently at the door. "And who are those OTHER fools inside that locked the door?"

When the door flung open, Burke looked embarrassed. "Good morning, Dr. Bailey."

"Why do I find my attending in the locker room, taking my interns hostage when there's a major surgery waiting for him at the OR?" Bailey squint her eyes and looked around the room for answer.

"Well," Feeling the pressure from both ends, Meredith nearly lost her voice.

Although standing apart, everyone who witnessed it would know that Cristina and Burke was a couple, for the anxiety on their face was remarkably identical.

"I'm having a … punctuality problem. Cristina and Dr. Burke were trying to help," Meredith was biting her nails as she spoke.

Noting Cristina's sigh of relief, Bailey shook her head and said, "Punctuality problem, huh? Fine. The two of you are going to stay here and come up with 50 different ways to stop people from being late."

"But I need someone to scrub in on my surgery," Burke shifted his gaze between his intimidating resident and his equally unrelenting wife-to-be.

Being unpredictable and totally Bailey, the toughest resident at Seattle Grace dismissed the eagerness burning in the 3 interns who had been spectators to the show, "You can take either Grey or Yang. Make up your mind now. Your patient can't be waiting for you forever."

While Cristina didn't begin her day wishing to scrub in, she could no longer control her _don't you dare ignore me_ stare at Burke.

As if he could read Cristina's mind, Burke took off his glasses and rubbed the ridge of his nose gingerly. _He didn't want anyone to think he was favoring Cristina._

"Dr. Burke, I am feeling a little queasy. Why don't you let Cristina assist in your surgery?" Meredith looked intently at everyone in the room, hoping to sound convincing.

"Alright. Dr. Yang, let's hurry up," Burke secretly placed his hand on the back of Cristina's waist to gear her towards the door. Luckily for him, he was not met with any form of resistance—not until they were out of sight from everyone else.

"Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone?" Cristina pouted, not letting Burke touch her as they locked themselves in an on-call room that nobody would ever visit.

"Reason escaped me when I heard you two talk about a wedding in scrubs," Burke defended himself, "I was really excited that you've begun thinking about the ceremony, even though I don't think I want to get married in the OR."

"You mean if we get married in a church or a synagogue, I can wear my favorite blue scrubs instead of a pompous white dress?" A wicked smile cracked through Cristina's sullen face.

"Well," Burke was lost for words.

After a moment of awkward silence, Cristina folded her arms and continued, "I still think you shouldn't have told Meredith without discussing that with me first."

"Cristina, we can't hide this forever," Burke reached out to grab her arm. "It's better to announce it than to have them find out later."

"But people are going to make fun of us," Cristina sat down on the bed.

"I can't see why anyone should laugh at the best intern and her fiancé, who also happens to be the best surgeon at Seattle Grace," Burke cleared his throat.

No matter how annoyed she was, the bragging confidence in Burke never failed to make Cristina laugh.

Blinking her eyes, Cristina said, "Someone should tell the fiancé that it won't be long before the intern beats him and becomes the best."

Pulling her closer to him, Burke blew a kiss over Cristina's head. As she turned around to look at her man again, her lips were unconsciously drawn to his.

"Does that mean we're ready to tell others?" Burke asked again as Cristina softened up.

"Not now," Cristina's eyes glistened as they lost themselves in the tiny bunk bed. 


End file.
